Funding secured to add fire pits, game boards, seating downtown

The City of Midland shared this image of a fireplace to be installed in downtown Midland following a fundraising campaign.

The City of Midland shared this image of a fireplace to be installed in downtown Midland following a fundraising campaign.

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The City of Midland shared this image of a fireplace to be installed in downtown Midland following a fundraising campaign.

The City of Midland shared this image of a fireplace to be installed in downtown Midland following a fundraising campaign.

Funding secured to add fire pits, game boards, seating downtown

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The goal of raising $50,000 to install amenities in Midland's new downtown streetscape was achieved Thursday, a day ahead of schedule.

Funds were raised through a Midland Area Community Foundation campaign, which gave the community about a month to raise $50,000. The sum was raised before Dec. 1, ensuring the money will be matched by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. grant. The community foundation is also contributing another $100,000 to the project.

Midland residents can expect to see two fire pits with moveable seating, six permanent checker/chess tables and 12 permanent benches being installed downtown.

Zero city dollars made up the total $200,000 that will fund the amenities, said Selina Tisdale, Midland city community affairs director.

"Once everything is installed and put into place, the upkeep and maintenance becomes part of the Downtown Development Authority budget," Tisdale said.

They will learn how the cost of things like running the fire pits and other changes in downtown facilities will be reflected in the DDA's 2018-19 budget, Tisdale said. But the new streetscape is also driving more businesses downtown, she explained, which will help fund maintenance and new amenities.

Donors were able to contribute to the project via Patronicity, a crowd funding website. According to the website, $60,255 was raised as of Dec. 1 from donations from 150 patrons.

People who donated $500 or more secured tickets to a private event at a "surprise location," according to the website.

Breakdown of costs:

Two stone fire pits: $50,000

Twelve flexible seating options: $1,800

Six chess/checker tables: $60,000

Twelve permanent benches: $72,000

Surplus fund for maintenance or additional amenities: $16,200

The fire pits are currently being constructed, Tisdale said. The goal is for them to be in place before the end of 2017. One fire pit will be installed at the intersection of South McDonald and East Main streets in front of Oscars Bar and Grill. The other will be situated at South Ashman and West Main streets by Pizza Sam's.

"Our goal right now is to run them as frequently as we can during the winter months when we know people are out and about downtown," Tisdale said.

There are currently benches in place downtown, but those are not part of the additional "specialty seating" that will be added. The design has not been finalized, Tisdale said, but they might be rocking or gliding benches.

The amenity seating and game boards are expected to be added during the spring.

The end of the amenities fundraising campaign comes just after Midland's newly constructed streetscape officially opened Nov. 18, just in time for the Santa parade.

While Tisdale said she's heard lots of positive remarks about the new streetscape, she said some are complaining about the lack of Christmas decorations downtown. Light poles being installed later than usually hampered the downtown decorating process, Tisdale said.

"We didn't get to dress up the downtown quite like we usually do," Tisdale said. "There's a lot of learning, especially coming out of a fast moving construction period."

Tisdale said residents can rest assured that they will be prepared to deck out downtown in future years, but are still looking to add some extra holiday flair this year.

Some features of downtown's new design are wider sidewalks, with the idea of creating a more pedestrian-friendly downtown, and for hosting events and outdoor seating.